Before you start

Residence card with your address written on the back
Ward registration completed
A Japanese phone number
A personal seal (inkan), still requested by some institutions

Step-by-step

1
Complete ward registration before attempting a bank
Your address must be printed on the back of the residence card, which happens at ward registration. Banks will refuse an application without it. This is why the fourteen-day deadline matters so much in practice.
In personWho: YouBefore the bank visit
2
Start with Japan Post Bank or an online bank
Yūcho, Sony Bank, Rakuten and Shinsei reliably open accounts for newly arrived foreign residents without a six-month wait. Yūcho branches are everywhere and the account is accepted for salary payment. This is the standard first account.
In personWho: YouWeek 1–2
3
Ask your employer which bank they prefer
Some Japanese employers pay salary only into particular banks, and in Fukuoka that is frequently Fukuoka Bank or another Fukuoka Financial Group institution. Asking before you open one avoids opening two.
Via employerWho: You
4
Get an inkan if you will deal with traditional institutions
The personal seal is being phased out of government procedures but remains in use at some banks, for property contracts and for certain employers. A simple unregistered one is inexpensive; a registered jitsuin is needed for major contracts and is registered at the ward office.
In personWho: You
5
Get a transport IC card and link it to payments
Fukuoka uses Hayakaken on the subway and Nimoca on Nishitetsu, both interoperable with Suica and ICOCA nationally. Any of them works on trains, buses, convenience stores and vending machines across most of Japan.
In personWho: YouDay 1
6
Keep cash on you despite the digital progress
QR and IC payments are widespread, but the yatai are cash-only by nature, and small restaurants, older shops and some clinics remain so. Carrying ten thousand yen is normal and unremarkable here.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Residence card with address printed on the reverse
Passport
Japanese phone number
Inkan, for some institutions
Employment certificate, sometimes requested

Things most newcomers don’t know

Several major banks will not open a full account until you have six months of residence.

This is internal policy rather than law, and it varies by bank and sometimes by branch. It catches people who walk into a big-name bank in their first week and are turned away without explanation. Japan Post Bank and the online banks do not apply it, which is why nearly every foreign resident's first Japanese account is one of those.

Source: community-reported

The regional bank matters more here than it would in Tokyo.

Fukuoka Bank and the wider Fukuoka Financial Group dominate local banking, and local employers, landlords and guarantor companies are used to dealing with them. A Yūcho account will work for everything legally required, but having the local institution smooths interactions in a way that is hard to quantify and easy to notice. Ask your employer before opening anything.

Source: community-reported

ATM fees outside your bank's hours are a real cost and Japan is unusual in this.

Withdrawing from another bank's machine, or your own outside daytime hours, commonly attracts a per-transaction fee. Convenience store ATMs are ubiquitous and charge accordingly. Choosing a bank whose fee structure matches how you actually withdraw money is worth five minutes of comparison.

Source: community-reported

Close your accounts and settle your taxes before you leave, not after.

Closing a Japanese bank account from overseas is extremely difficult, and residence tax obligations can survive your departure. Anyone leaving Japan should appoint a tax representative or settle the outstanding residence tax, claim the pension lump-sum withdrawal, and close accounts in person. Each item is much harder to fix from abroad.

Source: National Tax Agency

Common mistakes to avoid

Attempting a bank account before ward registration puts your address on the residence card.
Walking into a major city bank in your first week and being refused without explanation.
Opening a national bank account when your employer pays into a Fukuoka Financial Group one.
Using a Japanese bank for international transfers instead of a specialist service.
Leaving Japan without closing accounts, settling residence tax and claiming the pension refund.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.